Chapter Josaphat to Judas Kiss of J by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Josaphat to Judas Kiss

Josaphat An Indian prince converted by the hermit Barlaam, in the Greek religious pastoral entitled Josaphat and Barlaam, generally ascribed to St. John of Damascus (eighth century).

Joseph (A). One not to be seduced from his continency by the severest temptation. The reference is to Joseph in Potiphar's house. (Gen. xxxix.) (See Bellerophon.)
   A joseph. A great coat, so called after Joseph, who wore a garment or coat of many colours.

"At length, Mrs. Buby herself made her appearance; her venerable person, endued with what was then called a joseph, an ample garment, which had once been green, but now, betwixt stains and patches, had become like the vesture of the patriarch whose name it bore - a garment of divers colours." - Sir W. Scott: The Pirate, chap. xi.

Joseph (St.). Patron saint of carpenters, because he was of the same craft. This is Joseph, husband of Mary, and the reputed father of Jesus.
   In Christian art Joseph is represented as an aged man with a budding staff in his hand.

Joseph Andrews The hero of a novel written by Fielding to ridicule Richardson's Pamela, whose brother Joseph is supposed to be.

Joseph of Arimathea brought to Listenise the sanctgraal and also the spear with which Longinus wounded the crucified Saviour. When Sir Balin entered this chamber, which was in the palace of King Pellam, he found it "marvellously well dight and richly; the bed was arrayed with cloth of gold, the richest that might be thought, and thereby stood a table of clean gold, with four pillars of silver, and upon the table stood the spear strangely wrought." (The History of Prince Arthur, part i. chap. 40.)

Joseph's Coat (See under Coat .)

Joss The house-god of the Chinese; every family has its joss. A temple is called a joss-house.

Josse Vous êtes orfèves, Monsieur Josse (You are a jeweller, Mr. Josse). Nothing like leather; great is Diana of the Ephesians; your advice is not disinterested. In Molière's comedy of L'Amour Médecin, a silversmith, by the name of Josse, being asked the best way of curing a lady pining from love, recommends a handsome present of jewellery. The father replies, "You advise me like a jeweller, Mr. Josse."

Jot Not a jot. "Jot" is a contraction of iota, called the Lacedemonian letter, and the smallest in the alphabet; or the Hebrew yod.

Jotham in Dryden's satire of Absalom and Achitophel, means Saville, Marquis of Halifax. Jotham was the person who uttered the parable of The Trees Choosing a King when the men of Shechem made Abimelech king. (Judges ix.)

Jotunheim (pron. Utun-hime). Giant land. The home or region of the Scandinavian giants or joten.

Jour Maigre (French). A day of abstinence, when meat is forbidden to be eaten. (See Banian Days.)

Jourdain (Monsieur), in Molière's comedy of Le Bourgeis Gentilhomme. He represents a bourgeois placed by wealth in the ranks of gentlemen, and making himself extremely ridiculous by his endeavours to acquire their accomplishments.

Journal (Latin, diurnum, a daily thing; Welsh, diwrnod; Italian, giorno; French, journal, journal, jour, a day.)
   Applied to newspapers, the word strictly means a daily paper; but the extension of the term to weekly papers is sanctioned by custom.

Journey A Sabbath-day's journey. The distance between the farthest tents in the wilderness and the tabernacle of Moses, a radius of about a mile; this would make the entire encampment to cover a circumference of six miles.